Chapter 15
Fu'er's heart skipped a beat, and she involuntarily took two steps back, unable to believe it.
Today, the important person they are to serve is Ning Shiyu.
It's too late to escape now.
As Yunluo's pipa music began, the dishes were served one by one.
Fu'er was so shocked that she raised her head.
This allowed the people inside the room to see her beautiful and charming appearance.
A middle-aged man in a yellow brocade robe said with great enthusiasm, "The master is really thoughtful; even the maids serving the meal are all beauties."
"No wonder everyone says that Lingyang produces beauties; it's absolutely true."
The King of Qin chimed in, "It is your good fortune to be valued by this lord. Hurry up and go serve him."
Seeing Fu'er standing there blankly, showing no sign of cleverness, the King of Qin reminded her in a serious tone.
Fu'er dared not look at Ning Shiyu anymore, and could only bite the bullet and go up to pour the wine.
As soon as she approached the middle-aged man in brocade, she lifted the lid of the wine bottle. Before she could even pour him a drink, the man reached out to embrace Fu'er.
However, before his hand could even get close to Fu'er's body, Ning Shiyu, who was on the side, quickly pulled Fu'er gently.
She was pulled away from the man's embrace and moved to the side of the incense table.
Fu'er stumbled, spilling the wine on the ground.
Everyone was taken aback.
You Wanluo, sitting by the zither, was so shocked that she almost played the wrong piece.
The King of Qin was also taken aback.
I have never seen my nephew so rude.
Before he could smooth things over, Ning Shiyu coldly ordered the steward at the door, "Where did you find this person? So stupid! Take him away!"
The steward outside, unaware of what was happening inside, rushed in anxiously.
After understanding the hint in Ning Shiyu's eyes, he waved to Fu'er and led her out.
Fu'er followed the steward to a side room.
The room was heated by an underfloor lamp, so it wasn't cold, and there were delicious tea snacks on the tea table.
There were two maids serving inside the room.
Thinking of Ning Shiyu's cannibalistic behavior just now, Fu'er just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
The two maids tried to stop them, and it's unclear how much time passed.
Ning Shiyu pushed open the door with a livid face and said coldly to the two maids, "Get out."
Fu'er guiltily rose slowly from her seat, not daring to look at him, her head hanging low.
Then came Ning Shiyu's harsh reprimand: "Haven't you made enough of this for so long?"
"That's why you've been unwilling to return to the manor."
"You don't want to live a comfortable life, but you insist on degrading yourself by dressing like this to serve others."
"Do you know that if I hadn't been here today, that person would have..."
Ning Shiyu's face turned pale, and he really didn't want to say what he was about to say.
Feeling a tightness in his chest, he slammed his hand on the tea table and then pushed all the pastries and tea on it onto the ground.
The teacup shattered and scattered, and pastries rolled all over the floor.
Fu'er had never seen him so angry before, and she shrank back in fright, her eyes welling up with tears.
"After living here for so many years, you think you can just leave like that, as if you're going to the market near your house?"
Fu'er knew she was wrong, but dared not speak up in her defense.
But his shout made her feel sad, and she burst into tears.
Without realizing it, I poured out all the grievances I had been holding in these past few days.
"Young master, all you do is yell at your servants. Why don't you yell at Yunyou instead?"
"Ever since she came, you've found fault with everything about me."
“The other day, you punished me by making me kneel on the floor or send me to the accounting office because of Yunyou.”
"Now that I am no longer in the Ning residence, you still dare to yell at me."
"He doesn't keep his word. He clearly said he wouldn't stay in Lingyang permanently."
"But for her sake, I will have to stay in Lingyang for a long time."
"Didn't I give you a contract of indenture? Can't I even leave on my own?"
She was clutching her dress tightly with both hands, her body hunched over and her shoulders trembling slightly.
I haven't seen you for half a month, and you've lost a lot of weight.
The words Ning Shiyu was about to say turned into a sigh.
He took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
Fu'er not only refused to take it, but also turned her body away.
Ning Shiyu recalled how she used to be when she was angry as a child.
She didn't dare to argue with him, so she just turned her head away and ignored him.
She wouldn't eat the pastries that I brought to her.
She rarely cried back then.
At most, she would pout and refuse to look at herself.
Now that they're older, you can't say that anymore.
Ning Shiyu had no choice but to soften his tone. Hearing her jealous words, his mood changed inexplicably, and he felt much better. "So you left the Ning residence for Yunyou."
Fu'er wiped away her tears with her sleeve and continued to retort, "It wasn't for her."
"This servant is angry that the young master did not keep his word and disrupted this servant's plans."
Ning Shiyu immediately interrupted, "What plan?"
Fu'er realized she had let something slip and quickly said, "This servant doesn't want to talk about it anymore."
Ning Shiyu was both amused and exasperated. Listening to Fu'er's accusations, he was not angry at all, but instead smiled helplessly, "People outside are treacherous. You are inexperienced and have no defenses against others. I was just afraid that you would be deceived."
Fu'er snorted coldly, "I'm not a three-year-old child. Do you think I can't tell the difference between good and bad people?"
“I didn’t want to dress like that, and besides, the other two girls are dressed even less than me.”
“We just listened to the matchmaker. If you want to blame someone, blame her. What does it have to do with our girl?”
Hearing her start to argue and make a fuss, Ning Shiyu suddenly became interested.
"He's only been away from the manor for a few days, and he's become stupid, but his tongue has become sharp."
"Who did you learn from?"
"This servant is naturally very sharp-tongued; every time I argue with Little Orange, it never wins."
Ning Shiyu: "..."
"You're so clumsy with words, all you can do is bully a cat."
"There's a limit to sulking. Even when your nanny came to fetch you, you refused to come back."
"If everyone in this household were like you, what use would I be as their master?"
Seeing that she was dressed so thinly, Ning Shiyu immediately took off his own cloak and draped it over Fu'er.
"Alright, shall we go back to the manor together?"
Fu'er shook her head in a muffled voice and said, "This servant will not go back."
"I'm not holding a grudge, I just don't want to go back to the Ning residence."
“You once said that if I didn’t want to stay in the Ning residence anymore, I could leave at any time.”
"This servant wants to leave the Ning residence now, young master, you must keep your word."
Ning Shiyu's eyes darkened, and his heart sank slightly. He knew her stubbornness; once she started, she wouldn't listen to anyone.
I guessed that her actions were probably related to Yun You.
After a moment's hesitation, he said, "If you don't want to stay at the Ning residence, how about going to Songtao Garden?"
“These days, I’ve been busy with a lot of things and have been staying at Songtao Garden quite often.”
Songtao Garden is another villa of Ning Shiyu, and it is also very close to the Prince of Qin's Mansion.
It was where he gathered intelligence and where his undercover agents lived.
He rarely takes people there.
Fu'er had been by his side for many years and had visited Songtao Garden several times.
She was familiar with the people there.
Upon hearing that Ning Shiyu had asked her to go to Songtao Garden, Fu'er suddenly looked up.
Seeing her eyes red from crying, Ning Shiyu's heart softened, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything blaming her.
He took out his handkerchief again and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
He proactively explained, "There are some things I can't tell you in detail right now, but you'll know in a few days."
"If you don't mind that Songtao Garden is too quiet, would you like to come with me there today?"
"I will have Mu Li deliver a message to your family shortly."
Fu'er thought of her mother, who had been pressuring her to get married lately, and she was also annoyed, not knowing where to go for the time being.
Staying in Songtao Garden is not bad either.
If I don't go back to the Ning residence, I won't have to look at every blade of grass and every tree there every day.
Heartbroken and disappointed, she nodded in agreement, "Mm."
"Young master, you can no longer stop me from making incense."
Thinking of the trouble she had caused last time, Ning Shiyu wanted to stop her.
But look at her almond-shaped eyes after she cried; they are as clear as if they have been washed.
With each glance, it was as if she had captured all the shattered starlight within them.
She also possessed a captivating charm that she was unaware of.
He didn't know when it started, but when Ning Shiyu looked into her eyes, he couldn't bear to look away.
He nodded in agreement almost as if possessed.
"Wait here for me a moment, I'll be right back."
After Ning Shiyu left, the two maids tidied up the room and brought food to Fu'er.
Ning Shiyu then went to the dining hall, where the King of Qin was waiting for news from him.
The King of Qin, seated at the head of the table, saw Ning Shiyu enter the room.
He immediately stood up and asked, "How is Yu'er? Has the matter been resolved?"
Ning Shiyu smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry, Lord Liang has already agreed."
The Lord Liang he mentioned was the middle-aged man in the yellow brocade robe, who used to hold an important official position in the court.
I've worked in all six ministries.
Based on his experience and abilities, he should have been promoted to a third-rank official long ago.
But now, the core official positions in the six ministries are all occupied by the Cui family.
Absolutely not. We won't give these unofficial staff a chance.
Regardless of your ability, you have served in the government for many years.
Anyway, since he had no connection with the Cui family, he could only be transferred to some remote corner by the Ministry of Personnel.
Let alone a promotion, it would be difficult enough for him to keep his fifth-rank official position.
Because he was not given important responsibilities, he was not allowed to do the tasks that he was supposed to do.
The errands were difficult to run, so they fell to him.
He was originally an assistant minister in the Ministry of Rites, and the procurement matters of the palace were none of his concern.
Because he had no superiors, he could only obey orders and dared not utter a single complaint.
They traveled to counties and prefectures near Lingyang to purchase items for the palace.
Logically speaking, such a minor official would not be of much help to the King of Qin and his people.
There's no need to pay any attention to it.
But Ning Shiyu reminded his uncle that he should consider the future of his business.
He was ostracized by the Cui family, so he would not be loyal to them.
That way they can use it in the future.
This person is proficient in the affairs of the Six Ministries. When the great cause is completed and the Six Ministries are reorganized, even a minor official like him can play a significant role.
Moreover, his purchase of Ning Shiyu's tea was a normal business transaction.
Who would doubt him, a mere minor official?
Ning Shiyu could have handled the matter himself, but after hearing his reminder, the Prince of Qin realized that the early planning of the Six Ministries was crucial, and insisted on meeting with this Lord Liang privately.
Lord Liang was overwhelmed with gratitude at being personally summoned by the King of Qin.
Therefore, during today's banquet, Lord Liang recognized the Prince of Qin, but did not explicitly state his identity.
The matter was not mentioned at all during the meal. It was only when Ning Shiyu saw Lord Liang off at the mansion that he brought up the purpose of the Prince of Qin's meeting with him today.
Having spent many years in officialdom, Lord Liang was well aware of the situation and immediately agreed.
After finishing his business, the King of Qin prepared to return to his residence.
As he was leaving, he asked with a complicated expression, "Yu'er, who was that girl today?"
He had never seen Ning Shiyu protect someone like this before.
I have to ask a question.
Ning Shiyu didn't hide anything, "It's Fu'er."
As Ning Shiyu's maternal uncle, the King of Qin naturally knew that there was a charming young girl by his side.
Before Ning Shiyu was fourteen, he took her with him wherever he went.
He also knew that this girl had been with Ning Shiyu for many years.
She was different from others, after all.
As an elder, the King of Qin had to offer a fitting reminder, "She's grown up and should be married. Are you going to keep her in your backyard?"
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